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Doomsday Clock (series)
Doomsday Clock is a twelve-issue comic book series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Gary Frank. It began on November 21st 2017, at three minutes to midnight. It is the sequel to Watchmen, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons. Background In 1985, Alan Moore stated that he and Dave Gibbons had discussed doing a prequel series to Watchmen entitled Minutemen, based around the team of the same name, if the original proved successful. While Dave Gibbons remained open to the possibility, Alan Moore ultimately declined. Other proposed spin-offs and prequels were vetoed equally adamantly by Moore, who believed Watchmen should remain a standalone story. The dispute over the rights to Watchmen between Moore and DC Comics ultimately meant that any future material produced from Watchmen as a franchise would be done without the original creator. Meanwhile, the comic book industry underwent what is often referred to as "The Dark Age of Comic Books", during which large crop of stories inspired by the success of Watchmen and Frank Miller's ''The Dark Knight Returns ''emerged. However, attempting to emulate their more mature themes and styles produced less than spectacular results, and overtime public opinion of comics as a medium dwindled as a result. This period ended with the crash of the comic book industry in 1996, when the market became oversaturated by countless copies of unappealing material, and the industry temporarily collapsed. In 2010, DC Comics offered the rights to Watchmen back to Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons in exchange for his cooperation in expanding Watchmen into a larger universe. Moore vehemently declined any continuation of Watchmen in any capacity, while Gibbons expressed his support at new creators getting to work on the property, leading to the publication of the Before Watchmen line of comics in 2012. Written by teams of different writers and creators, the line was met with a mixed response. After several years of disappointing sales due to the failure of The New 52 and DC YOU Initiatives, DC decided to return to its roots with DC Rebirth, which introduced Watchmen to the broader DC Universe by hinting at Doctor Manhattan's involvement in the restructuring of time and space which followed DC's Flashpoint event. Rebirth proved a runaway success. Following the United States Presidential Election and a number of other events in late 2016, Geoff Johns, CCO and President of DC Comics, finalized the story for a sequel to Watchmen and the conclusion of the DC Rebirth initiative: Doomsday Clock. Plot Issue 1: That Annihilated Place The series opens on November 22nd, 1992, seven years after the conclusion of Watchmen. The world is in chaos as the full extent of Ozymandias' plan is revealed to the public after several years of investigation following the publication of Rorschach's Journal in The New Frontiersman. A global manhunt is underway for Adrian Veidt, while relations between the United States of America and the Russian Federation are at their lowest ebb over the revelations, with each suspecting the other of conspiring with him. Protestors assemble outside the main building of Veidt Enterprises, and a riot breaks out. The police are unable to prevent the protestors from ransacking the building, where they find Ozymandias has fled. Meanwhile, Russian special forces breach Karnak, and find the facility empty. All of Ozymandias' video monitors are tuned to different cable news channels, revealing that all independent news networks in the United States are going offline and a new National News Network will be coming online at 6:00. One journalist, Howard Beale of the Union Broadcasting Service, demands the people rise up before the network is shut down. During the period of silence which follows, the Russians discover a medical bay, with x-rays of Ozymandias' skull showing a large cancerous mass. The National News Network comes online, anchored by William F. Buckley Jr., who says that the Russians have invaded Poland. President Robert Redford has given them four hours to withdraw their troops or the United States will launch a full retaliatory strike. Mandatory evacuations orders are issued for all major U.S cities. At Sing Sing Prison in New York, the guards are evacuating and refusing to let the prisoners go. One prisoner is able to grab one of the guards and demand his release. The prisoner is horrified when the guard is knocked unconscious by Rorschach, who grabs the guard's keyring and asks the prisoner if he still wants to be let out, which the prisoner fearfully declines. Rorschach keeps the keys and moves on, locating the cell is he looking for. He confronts the occupant of the cell, a criminal known as Marionette, who reacts with terror when she sees him. He says he's come to recruit her for a job, but she refuses to leave, claiming that the last time she met Rorschach he threatened to drop her down an elevator shaft if they ever met again. Rorschach claims he is not Walter Kovacs, and is forced to pull off his glove to prove it, revealing he is African-American. He incentivizes the still reluctant Marionette with a photograph of her missing son, promising a reunion if she complies. She is adamant, however, that they rescue her husband Mime before leaving, which Rorschach reluctantly agrees to. They leave the prison and head for New York City, making a quick exit into the sewers, finding their way to Nite Owl's base. When they arrive, however, it is not Nite Owl waiting for them but Ozymandias. With two hours left before nuclear war begins, Ozymandias reveals the job is to find Doctor Manhattan and return him to Earth so that he can stop this. In Metropolis, Superman has a nightmare of the night his parents died in a car crash when he was young. He wakes up screaming and unwittingly floats off the bed in a panic before being calmed by his wife, Lois. She says she can't remember the last time he had a nightmare, and he reveals that until now, he never has. Issue 2: Places We Have Never Known Mime and Marionette reapply their costumes while Rorschach and Ozymandias review footage of their final heist. When the duo attempted to rob a government bank, Doctor Manhattan intervened, and a standoff between he and Mime ensued. Just as Doctor Manhattan was about to disintegrate Mime, Marionette through herself in the way, demanding she die first if he was going to go through with it. Manhattan, seemingly sensing that she was pregnant, relented and retreated as the authorities arrived. Ozymandias wishes to use that moment to remind Manhattan of his inherent humanity and leverage his assistance. The footage blinks out as nuclear war erupts. The group follows a trail of electrons left by Manhattan aboard the Owlship, using quantum tunneling to narrowly escape the destruction of New York City. In Gotham City, Bruce Wayne is undergoing psychological examinations at the request of Wayne Enterprises Board of Directors, who want assurances that he is healthy and fit to lead the company. Wayne Enterprises is currently embroiled in a heated game of corporate warfare with LexCorp. over the Metagene, a part of human DNA which is believed to be the catalyst for superhuman abilities. Its secrets have become both coveted and controversial as a Markovian scientist, Dr. Helga Jace, has recently stirred international tensions by proposing what she calls "The Supermen Theory", which accuses the United States Government of manufacturing both superheroes and supervillains to maintain the global dominance and cultural hegemony they have enjoyed since the end of World War II. Accusations have been leveled at superhero Metamorpho, as well as supervillain Man-Bat, whose origins have newly leaked government connections, though their credibility is questionable. Protestors are now demanding Batman publicly unmask, as he has always been one of the most unaccountable vigilantes. Only Superman himself has been considered above suspicion, as his origins are well-documented and his actions speak for themselves. The theory frightens the Russian Federation, who ally themselves with Markovia amidst fears of a superhuman arms race. The Doomsday Clock is set to three minutes to midnight as global tensions rise. Wayne meets with Lucius Fox, head of R&D, and manufacturer for the equipment utilized by Batman. He expresses his concerns that the board may sell the company to LexCorp. if Wayne is not deemed fit to run the company, which would place not only the Metagene research firmly in the hands of Lex Luthor, but also expose Batman to the public. Bruce dismisses his concerns and continues his war on crime. The Owlship crashes at an abandoned amusement park elsewhere in Gotham, rendering the crew unconscious. Ozymandias is the first to awaken, and rouses Rorschach, who at first forgets the agreement forged between the two to find Doctor Manhattan and tries to kill him. He is quickly returned to his senses and assists Veidt in securing Mime and Marionette, who they determine to be too big a risk to allow to roam free. They leave to gather information on where they have landed, passing by a television in an electronics store playing a marathon of Nathaniel Dusk films. They research the world at a nearby library, familiarizing themselves with history and current events. Noticing some of the heroes present were fictional characters in their world, they hypothesize that Manhattan may have created them, and might even be hiding among them. They also recognize Lex Luthor and Bruce Wayne as the two most prominent and intelligent men on the planet, meaning they represent the best opportunity to find Manhattan. Veidt goes to seek the aid of Luthor, while Rorschach goes after Wayne. In Wayne Manor, Rorschach finds a plate of pancakes prepared by Wayne's faithful butler Alfred, which he eats with pleasure. Doing so inadvertently leads Rorschach to discover a draft pulling through the room, leading to a clock on the far end of the room. Pulling it aside, he descends a staircase and discovers the Batcave, tripping a silent alarm and summoning Batman in the process, having just defeated Mad Hatter and his minions, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. Back in the Owlship, Mime and Marionette are discussing their predicament, and decide they need a drink. Marionette asks if Mime brought his lockpick, which he mimes having, and they escape. At LexCorp. Luthor's research on the Metagene is slow-going and providing little in the way of results. He is rapidly hiring and firing staff for failing to meet his expectations. Luthor has been perpetuating the Supermen Theory to further his own vendetta against superhumans and Superman in particular. He finds Veidt waiting in his office, admiring a painting on his wall, who suggests they share ambitions and insists them to be the two smartest men from their respective worlds. A bemused Luthor decides to humor him until security arrives, and while he does appear to believe the story, he also does not consider it his problem. At that moment, Ozymandias senses movement in the corner of the room and ducks for cover when a bullet flies through the air. It strikes Luthor in the chest, incapacitating him. Turning to face his attacker, Ozymandias is both shocked and horrified to find the Comedian, returned from death and eager to take his revenge. Issue 3: Not Victory Nor Defeat A flashback reveals that Blake was seemingly saved in the middle of his fateful fall from his apartment window, seemingly disappearing just before he hit the ground. Blake instead lands in the ocean outside Gotham and swims to shore, where Doctor Manhattan greets him, dropping The Button in the sand as the Comedian demands to know where they are and what they're doing there. Ozymandias and the Comedian battle it out in Lex's office. The Comedian, sober, clearly gains an upper advantage on the cancer ridden Veidt. Veidt is saved from sharing Blake's initial fate when he is thrown against the window, only for the reinforced glass to refuse to break. Realizing he is outmatched, Ozymandias turns off the lights, shatters the window, and uses his acrobatic skills to leap from the rooftop safely. However, his new perch gives way and he falls to the ground, critically injured but alive. The Comedian disappears while Veidt and Luthor are hospitalized for their injuries. Anti-superhuman sentiment spreads worldwide. Another minor villain, Lady Clayface, claims connections to the United States government. In a retirement community, senior citizens bicker over the control of the television, with one lamenting the loss of real heroes like Theodore Roosevelt and Sgt. Rock, and declaring that the only one left who they can trust is Superman. Johnny Thunder, the last survivor of the Justice Society of America, is seen looking out onto the rainy street waiting for someone he says never comes. Mime and Marionette make their way to a bar near the amusement park, analyzing the situation they've found themselves in. When they walk in, they are greeted by a number of thugs, who take offense to their attire as this territory belongs to the Joker. When one of them threatens Marionette because she does not know who that is, Mime reveals that the items he has been miming are real, but invisible to the human eye. His guns become visible when he kills the thug. He and Marionette slaughter the rest before getting a drink and deciding to go find the man the thugs called Joker. Rorschach is confronted by Batman, who demands that he leaves. Rorschach tries to explain the situation, rushing and rambling the details, before deciding to simply hand him Kovacs's journal and let him read the details for himself. Batman, having had a long day already, takes his time and offers Rorschach a place to rest and clean up. He accepts, though he is uncomfortable with the luxuries he's offered. He removes his mask, revealing his face for the first time, and takes a shower. While in the shower, blood runs down his face from his hair as he violently tries to scrub himself clean, and he later suffers a nightmare of the New York City Massacre, revealing he was driving into New York to evacuate his parents when the city was destroyed. He is roused by Batman, who reveals that he has completed the journal and claims to have found Doctor Manhattan in Arkham Asylum. The two breach the facility together, where they trace Manhattan's signature to the Mad Hatter's empty cell. Rorschach enters believing Manhattan to be inside, only for Batman to lock the cell. Batman, notoriously slow-to-trust, believes Rorschach is simply insane and that he belongs in Arkham. He apologizes and departs, with Rorschach threatening, begging, and screaming to be let out of the cell. Issue 4: Walk on Water A series of flashbacks reveal the identity of Rorschach II as Reggie Long, son of the late Dr. Malcolm Long. He was at university when his father took on Walter Kovacs as a patient, was unaware of the effect that Kovacs was having on his father, whose condition is kept secret by his mother. When war between the United States and the Soviet Union seemed imminent, Reggie drove down to New York City to evacuate his parents. A car crash on the way into the city spares Reggie from the New York City Massacre, though he is driven nearly insane by the incident, and is committed to a mental hospital. The treatment proves fruitless, and one night Reggie escapes to commit suicide by throwing itself off the rooftop. However, when he reaches the roof, he encounters a naked man standing on the corner. When he asks him if he is going to jump, the man replies saying he's going to fly. As security closes in, Reggie is stunned when the man flies away on a pair of makeshift wings. The next day, Reggie meets the man again, and he identifies himself as Byron Lewis, the former Mothman. He makes frequent escapes and is always recaptured, each time smuggling contraband into the asylum. The two quickly become friends and learning of Reggie's background, Byron delivers a package of his father's belongings, the initial report on Kovacs among them. The rest of the reports are implied to have been destroyed by Byron. When a sadistic orderly breaks his father's mug, Reggie is taught by Byron how to fight, teaching him the skills of the Minutemen. At the same time, Reggie develops an admiration for Rorschach. As evidence mounts against Adrian Veidt, implicating him in the destruction of New York City, Reggie plots to take revenge on him. He and Byron escape, burning down the asylum and fleeing. However as they leave, Byron hallucinates, and walks into the fire and dies. He leaves behind a bag containing food, water, a ticket to the Arctic, a map to Karnak, and Rorschach's mask. He dons it to confront Veidt. When they meet, Reggie is surprised to find Veidt remorseful over his actions as he confronts his own mortality. Reggie agrees, reluctantly, to set aside his grudge and work with Veidt to save the world. In the present day, Reggie is detained in Arkham Asylum as a 'John Doe'. He quickly gets into violent confrontations between guards and prisoners alike. Reggie is interviewed by Dr. Matthew Mason about his identity and his background, but Reggie says nothing. As Reggie plans his escape, he is suddenly aided by a 'Jane Doe', in reality the time-displaced Saturn Girl, and the two flee Arkham together to find Superman. Unbeknownst to them, they are being monitored by both Batman, who believes Reggie's story but is keeping him at a distance, and seemingly Doctor Manhattan himself. Issue 5: Issue 6: Issue 7: Issue 8: Issue 9: Issue 10: Issue 11: Issue 12: Category:Media